Baling-press.



A. BENSON @L E. C. SHAW.

BALING PRESS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.`28,1915.

Patented Jan. 1,1918.

2 SEEETB-BHEBT1.

a Elf' 2 A. BENSON & E. C. SHAW.

BALING PRESS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 28. 19H5.

N 1,251,740. Patented Jan.,1,1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- witness: l y \5 Inventors.' Sawa- .f- WMI UNTTEDsTATEs PATENT oEEioE.

AXLE BENSON AND EDWARD C. SHAW, 0F GALESBURG, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS TO THECRANE IVIANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF GALESBURG, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OFILLINOIS.

BALING-PRESS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 1, '1918.

Application filed November 2S, 1916. Serial N o. 133,960.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, AXLE BENSON, formerly a subject of the King ofSweden, but who has made application for citizenship and received hisfirst naturalization papers of the United States, and EDWARD C. SHAW, acitizen of the United States, and both of whom are residents ofGalesburg, in the county of Knox and State of Illinois, have jointlyinvented a new and useful Baling-Press, of which the following is aspecilic-ation.

Our invention relates to baling-presses of that type in which astationary rack and traveling pinion constitute the means for providingthe pressure. We are aware that presses of this character haveheretofore been used. lTherefore the principal end and object of thisinvention is to generally improve the construction and increase thecapacity, utility and eliiciency of presses of this nature.

The nature of these objects will be in part particularly pointed out andin part obvious.

In the accompanyingdrawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment ofour improvements:

Figure l is a side elevation, the platen and the elements which actuateit shown in elevated position by dotted lines and in lowermost positionby full and dotted lines;

Fig. 2, a rear elevation, the platen and the elements which actuate itshown by full lines in elevated position and by dotted lines inlowermost position;

Fig. 3, a detail of the final-compression lever and parts connectedtherewith;

Fig. el, a detail of the dog for preventing the platen from movingupward when the final-compression lever is being operated and forautomatically stopping its downward movement;

Fig. 5, a detail of the dogactuating lever;

Fig. 6, a modified form of the dog shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6, a sectional detail in Fig. 6;

Fig. 7, a front elevation;

Fig. 8, a sectional detail of the rack, its plane taken in the line S-Sin Fig. 7;

Fig. 9, a detail of the lower end of the right hand rack, showing alsothe manner of connecting the reinforce straps thereto; and

Fig. 10, a top plan.

Coming now to a detailed description of the drawings, and designatingeach element, and, where necessary, each part thereof by adistinguishing reference numeral, uniformly employed, 2 denotes thehinged front, 3 the back, 4: the left and 5 the right hand side of apress-box or compression chamber.

l/Ve prefer that the sides il and 5 of the press-box rise somewhat abovethe front and back, primarily in order to give greater rigidity to theupper portions of the racks. Each side is provided with a slot 14. l5,15 indicate hinges whereby the door is hung. 16, 16 indicatelock-members secured on the door; 17, 17 indicate lock-members securedon the side 5, and 18 indicates a locking-rod whereby boththe upper andlower members of the lock are connected. A strong retaining strap 19embraces the back and sides of the box and is secured thereto by boltsor rivets 20, a portion of which pass also through the lower portion ofthe concaves 11. A strap 21 passes beneath the floor 6, its terminalsbeing brought up and secured to both the sides of the box and to theconcaves ll-see Fig. 9--whereby to insure against the floor being tornloose from the box when great power is being exerted.

In this type of presses it is desirable-in fact, in order to achieve thebest results it is absolutely essential that there be no angles in therack, for if there be the pinion (which moves the platen) will hesitate,jump, and otherwise travel unevenly thereover. In order to avert thisand further in order to cause the pinion or pinions to travel in themost facile manner and without unnecessary exertion on the part of theoperator, we have provided the racksl shown, which comprise each asubstantially vertically arranged body portion 7 and an upper portion 8,the latter being formed in the arc of a circle of which theplaten-catching hooks 9 are substantially the center. The racks arearranged one at each side of the press-box and are suitably securedthereto by bolts 10 or the like. The lower end portion of therack-casting 1 is formed into a concave 11 to provide a rest for theshaft 12 on which the pinions 13, 13 Y cured to and on the upper edgesof the sides 4 and 5. 26, 26 indicate side-wall retaining straps eachoverlying one of the straps 25, and each is secured to the upper edge ofthe side above which it rests. The purpose of the straps 26 is toprevent the walls providing the slots 14 from spreading and further toadd strength to the sides per se.

Rotatably mounted on opposite end portions of the shaft 12 are rollers27, for purposes presently to be described. Fixed on said shaft, justoutside each roller 27, is a platen-actuating pinion 13,13. Pivotallymounted on the shaft is a dog 29 having a circular flange 30 in whichare secured pins 31, 31,-see Fig. 4. A modified form of this dog isillustrated by Fig. 6, wherein the flange 30 is cut away to provideshoulders 31 which serve the same purposes, in substantially the samemanner, as do the pins 31. Coacting with the dog 29 is a lever 32pivoted on the shaft 12 and having a counterweight 32 on its free end.Secured in one corner of the lever 32 is a pin 33. 34 indicates afinal-compression lever to which is pivoted a pawl 35-the leverpivotally mounted on the shaft 12. 36 indicates a ratchet-wheel fixed onthe shaft 12 and adapted to be engaged by the hook k35 of the pawl 35. Acrank-wheel 37 which may be either cast, integral with the ratchet wheelor be separate therefrom and fixed on said shaft, is employed as themeans for actuating they shaft 127 although any other suitable means maybe substituted therefor.

Assume. the parts to be in the relative positions shown by dotted linesin Fig. 1, and a quantity of material to be baled to be Within thepress-box.

The operator would throw the rear end of the lever 32 rearwardly, thusstriking its pin 33 against the pin 31, giving the dog 29 a partrotation rearwardly, freeing its front edge or tooth 31a from therack-tooth with which is was engaged and permitting its rear edge ortooth 32b to ratchet over the rack-teeth as the platen and operatingparts move downward. This downward movement will continue untill theplaten rests upon the material in the press-box. Thereupon the operatorwill actuate the crankwheel 37 and thereby the pinions 13, 13 and shaft12, by reason of the pinions intermeshing with their respectivecoactingy racks, and the dog-tooth 32h will constantly ratchet into andover the rack-teeth. It is to be particularly noted that immediatelyupon the starting of the platen and the operating no horizontal and noangular portion in either rack.

The weight and consequent momentum of the platen and the operating partstends to cause them to fall with great speed, which would cause thecrank-handle to revolve so .7

rapidly that should it strike the operator it might cause him injury.The dog 29 obviates this, for the said momentum causes its tooth 321 tobe automatically thrown forwardly whereby its tooth 31a will be throwninto engagement with the rack-teeth and the downward movement of theparts be automatically stopped.V

The material in the press-box is then compressed by turning thecrank-wheel, causing the pinions to travelV down` the-racks in anevident manner. When it has been compressed as closely as may be bymeans of the crank the latter is released by the operator.. Theresiliency or tendency of the compressed material to spring back bearsupward on the platen and thereby on the shaft and pinions,.and the pinonv the counterweight-lever 32 will strike the rear one on the dog 29and throw the tooth 32br into the rack-teeth, thereby preventing upwardmovement.

In order to compress the bale-more rmly and tightly thancan be done, bymeans of the crank-wheel the operatorV will, when the last describedoperation has been completed, reciprocate the lever 34 to causerthe hook35 of the pawl135 to-successionally catch the teeth of, and torotate-the ratchet-wheel-3G, thus causing the pinions 13, 13. to traveldownwardly over. the rack-teeth, the dog 29 being held, by means ofVits` counterweight, in one-.of the notches of the rack and therebypreventing upward movement of the platen.

The usual grooves for the baling-wires are provided in the back, thefloor, and the bottom of they platen.. Vhen the bale has been completedthe redis removedin order to permit the door-lock members to bedisengaged and the door opened, whereupon the ends of the-respectivewiresare tied or twisted in the usual manner. The pawl 35 and lever 32are then thro-wn forwardly to respectively release the pawl from. theratchet-wheel teeth and the dog 29y from-the rack-teeth, whereupon theoperator will turn the crank-wheel clockhandwise whereby to cause thepinions to travel upV their respective racks. rIhe shaft 12 will thus becarried upward, and inasmuch as it. carries the platen the hooks 24vwill catch on or engage the hooks 9 to stop the movement, of

the shaft andthe eyes23untilv it assumes a substantially vertical'position, if. it bedesired to raise it to thatextent. VVhenit israisedto such position, or approximately so it forms the roof of achute-like mouth of which the press-box sides l and 5 constitute thesides and the press-box doorY thefront.

A purpose, notVv hereinbefore recited, of the flange on the. dog Qisthat it'substantially covers the pinion and prevents the handor theclothing of theoperatorY being drawn into the-gear.

The rollers 27 fit oneineach of the, slots 1d and bear eachagainst theadj acentguideand-bearing straps 25. I'Vhen power isY being exerted (inorder to compress the bale) the tendency of the pinions 13, 13, istomove away from and out of mesh with the teeth of their respective racks.rlhe rollers, it will be evident, hold the shaft 12 from bodily forwardmovement and thus hold the pinions positively from disengagement fromsaid teeth. Moreoverif they. were not provide-d, and if the shaft'itself bore against said straps, the latter would very quickly cut intothe shaft, whereby it would not only become weakened but would permitthe pinions to disengage from the rack teeth.

The rollers perform still another function, namely, they greatly reducethe friction, which, when the power is being applied, would otherwise begreat because of the above recited tendency of the rollers to move awayfrom the racks and which would thereby cause the shaft to bear forciblyagainst the straps 27. In this connection it may be mentioned that therollers rotate in a. direction contrary to that of the pinions.

Accordingly we claim:

1. In a baling-press, a press-box having in each of its sides a slot,toothed racks arranged one adjacent each of said slots, each of saidracks having its upper portion continuously curved, a platen-carryingshaft working in said slots, a platen carried thereby, pinions fixed oneon each outer portion of the shaft, and a dog having two ends either ofwhich is adapted to engage one of said racks to lock said pinions frommovement.

2. In a baling-press, a press-box having in each of its sides a slot,toothed racks arranged one adjacent each of said slots, each of saidracks having its upper portion continuously curved, a platen-carryingshaft working in said slots, a platen carried thereby, pinions fixed oneon each outer portion of the shaft, and a dog pivoted on the shaft andhaving two ends either of which is adapted to engage one of said racksto lock said pinions from movement.

3. In a baling-press, a press-box having in each of its sides a slot,toothed racks fixed one adjacent each of said slots, the upper portionof each rack forming a continuous curve, a platen-carrying` shaft'working insaid slots, a platen carried thereby, pinions fixed one'oneachv outer portion of the shaft, and a dog havingtwo ends either ofwhich is adapted to engage oneof .said` racks to .lock said pinionsfrommovernent.

l. In a baling-press, a press-box having in eachof its sides ,a slot,toothed racks.. arranged one adjacent each. ofI said slots and eachVrack having al substantially. vertical lower portion and acontinuouslycurved upper portion, a shaftoperating inthe slots recited,a platen suspended from the shaft, and pinions fixed on the shaft, eachpinion intermeshing with one of said racks.

5. Ina baling-press, a press-box having in each of its sides` a slot,toothed racks arranged one adjacent each of said slots and each rackhaving a substantially vertical lower portion and a continuously curvedupper portion, a platen-carrying shafttraversing said slots, a platencarried thereby, pinions fixed one to and n ear each outer endof theshaft, a dog adapted to engage one of said racks, and means for throwingthe dog into or out of engagement with said rack.

6. In a baling-press, a press-box having in each of its sides a slot,toothed racks arranged one adjacent each of said slots, the upperportion of each rack forming a continuous curve, a platen-carrying shafttraversing said slots, a platen carried thereby, pinions fixed one toand near each outer end of the shaft, a dog pivoted on the shaft andadapted to engage one of said racks, and means for throwing the dog intoor out of engagement with said rack.

7. In a baling-press, a press-box having in each of its sides a slot,toothed racks arranged one adjacent each of said slots, the upperportion of each rack forming a continuous curve, a platen-carrying shafttraversing said slots, a platen carried thereby, pinions fixed one toand near each outer end portion of the shaft, a rotating dog having twoends either of which is adapted t0 engage one of said racks and therebylock one of said pinions from rotation, and a lever adapted to impartrotatory movement in either direction 'to said pinion.

8. In a baling-press, a press-box having in each of its sides a slot,toothed racks arranged one adjacent each of said slots, the upperportion of each rack forming a continuous curve, a platen-carrying shafttraversing said slots, a platen carried thereby, pinions fixed one toand near each outer end portion of the shaft, a rotatory dog having twoends either of which is adapted to engage one of said racks and therebylock one of said pinions from rotation, and a lever pivotally hung onsaid shaft and adapted to impart rotatory movement in either directionto said pinion.

9. In a baling-press, a press-box, a toothed rack secured thereto, thelower portion of the rack being substantially vertical and the upperportion continuously curved, a pinion in mesh with the rack, a platen,and means operated by said pinion for raising or lowering said platen.

10. In a baling-press, a press-box, a toothed rack secured thereto, thelower portion of the rack being substantially vertical and the upperportion forming the arc of a circle, a pinion in mesh With the rack, anda platen to Which rising and falling movements are imparted by reason ofsimilar movements of the pinion.

11. In a press7 a press-box, hooks secured thereto, a platenreciprocable Within said boX, means for reciprocating it, and meanssecured to the platen and adapted to engage the hooks as the platenrises.

l2. In a press, a press-box, hooks secured thereto, a platenreciprocable Within the box, means forreciprocating it, and meansprojecting from the rear edge of the platen and adapted to engage saidhooks and thereby tilt the front edge of the platen upwardly at thefinal portion of its rising movement.

13. In a press, a press-box having in one of its sides a slot the lowerportion of which is substantially vertical and the upper portion ofwhich is continuously curved, a shaft one end of which travels in saidslot, the other end of the shaft traveling likewise, means for raisingand lowering the shaft, and a platen carried by the shaft.

In testimony Whereoil We hereunto aiiix our signatures this 24th day ofNovember, 1916.

AXLE BENSON. EDWARD C. SHAW.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

